The Upper East Regional Health Directorate Friday launched the Universal Insecticide Treated Bed Nets Distribution and Hang Up Campaign in Bolgatanga to distribute 598,316 bed nets to 911 communities in the area.

The event which was organised on the theme, ?Malaria Kills, Prevent Malaria by Sleeping under Long Lasting Insecticide Bed nets,? was attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, development partners, Directors of Ghana Health Service, District Chief Executives and health workers.

The region is the seventh in the country to carry out the campaign that would pave way for the house-to house distribution of insecticide mosquito bed nets.

Dr Koku Awoonor Williams, Director of Upper East Regional Health Services, said the exercise would cover over one million people who were registered in the region.

He said that the data generated indicated that 260,000 households and 67,450 people sleep without bed nets.

Dr Awoonor Williams said the directorate has put in place interventions to reduce malaria cases among pregnant women and children.

He said that the promotion of the use of insecticide treated bed nets for children under five and pregnant women.

He expressed worry over lack of bed nets for the targeted population, and the inadequate supply of diagnostic test kits for malaria for health workers.

According Mr Samuel Oppong, the National Malarial Control Officer, the exercise which was initiated in 2009 to accelerate malaria control in the country is intended to reduce the prevalent rate by 75per cent before 2015.